I Want a Four-Year Degree

What You Need to Know

It's smart to start at a community or technical college and then transfer to a four-year
college or university. You'll enjoy quality instructors, convenient options and smaller
classes — all at a fraction of the cost. Earn your associate degree and then transfer to a public university as a junior to finish your bachelor's.

Community and technical colleges offer advantages you just won't find in four-year
schools. In fact, 40 percent of all bachelor's graduates from public universities
in Washington start at a community or technical college.

A number of community and technical colleges now offer applied bachelor's degrees in high-demand fields like nursing, dental hygiene or cybersecurity. These degrees make
it possible for students who already have a non-transferrable associate degree in
a career field to earn a bachelor's degree without having to start from scratch at
a university. Instead, students can take two more years of upper-level coursework
at the community or technical college.

Be sure to talk to your community or technical college advisor and the admissions office at the university you'd like to attend. Many four-year schools
offer helpful orientation sessions for transfer students.

Yes, but the best approach is to complete your two-year associate transfer degree
before transferring. Your credits will transfer completely and place you as a junior
at your new college or university.

If you choose to transfer before earning a transfer degree, be sure to talk to the
admissions people at the college you want to attend. They may evaluate your transcript
course-by-course. They can help you match the courses you took to the requirements
of the university.